Healthy Eating Class

Healthy Eating Class will not take place on Feb. 19th. Instead, we are urging you to attend the following:

A movie screening of “Eating You Alive”, a look at why we are so sick due to our eating habits. The movie is Sunday, Feb. 19th from 12-2 pm,followed by a physician panel discussion from 2:15 to 2:45. Takes place at FreshJax, 111526 Lake Meade Avenue Unit 101.

Generosity in Action for February 2017

Christina Ramey has been instrumental in updating and revitalizing our online presence in Jacksonville in the past year. She has worked diligently on rebuilding our website as well as using her amazing skills for bringing marketing tools to UUCJ. Recently, Christina has agreed to further serve our beloved community by joining the UUCJ Board and heading up the Outreach Portfolio. She is an active member of the Fundraising Committee, volunteers in our Children’s RE activities, along with volunteering her time to assist in the church office. Christina is the first to offer her services in whatever capacity she can and generously gives her time and talent with so much obvious love you can’t help but want to join her in whatever she is participating in! Thank you Christina for your selfless contribution to UUCJ!

Garden Work Day

Meet at UUCJ’s garden (growing food for pantries) located at Tree Hill Nature Center (7152 Lone Star Road 32211-East Entrance) to help us tend the beds. Tools provided. Bathrooms on site. Wear work clothes and bring gloves if you have them. The more help we have, the more food we can grow!

Vespers Service

UUCJ will be launching a new weekly Vespers service on Saturday, February 18 at 7 pm. Vespers is a service of evening prayer in the Christian tradition. Our Vespers services will be held regularly every Saturday evening. They will offer a sacred time of song, meditation, prayer, reflection, and contemplation. All are welcome.

UUCJ Foundation gives Annual Gift to the Church of $18,593!

Friends and members of UUCJ have donated money to the Foundation for the purpose of providing ongoing financial gifts to the church. The year-end balance in the Fund for 2016 is $464,826. The 4% distribution amount for 2017 is $18,593. Due to generous gifts in 2016 which paid off the outstanding loan to the church, the entire amount will be applied to 2017 church operations. In the past, a portion of the annual amount was applied to loan repayment and interest. A gift to the Foundation is a gift that keeps on giving. Foundation Board members are Mary Carter, Lynn Shad, Barbara Robinson, Melody Shacter, and Bret Hinman.

Our Gang Outing – Ravines

Our Gang will meet at UUCJ on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 9:00 AM to carpool to Ravines State Park in Palatka to see the beautiful azaleas. Lunch afterwards at a local restaurant. Contact Barbara Robinson at [email protected] for additional info and to RSVP.

President’s Letter

I am honored to be writing my first monthly Presidents Letter to our beloved community. I am looking forward to keeping all of you informed about what the Board is doing and looks to do to continually push forward into 2017 with hope and prosperity.

I am aware that some of you might not be familiar with me so I thought I would start with a quick introduction. I am Samantha Ledyard and have been a member of UUCJ for going on 3 years now. I have served on many different committees in those three years, and am entering my 3rd year on the board. My husband, Eric, and I have been married for 15 years and have 3 children, who I’m sure you have seen, if not heard, on the UUCJ campus. All three are heavily involved in the youth programs UUCJ offers! Before deciding to stay home to raise our family, I worked as a Paralegal and Office Manager for most of my career in Chicago. We moved to the Jacksonville area around 6 years ago, and haven’t looked back!

I am very excited for what 2017 will bring to UUCJ. The Board is working diligently on the continued push for our Portfolio Committee structure to become even stronger. We will also be launching our Capital Campaign soon to help with the improvement and expansion plans that were designed by Bob Broward’s protégé, Cathy Duncan, and introduced at the 50th Anniversary celebration last September. We hope to catapult UUCJ into the future and to solidify our presence in Jacksonville for another 50 years!

There are many exciting and big changes on our agenda, along with attention to detail on our existing programs and day to day workings of the church.

I welcome all of you to join us in these exciting changes as well the amazing work UUCJ is already involved in. I pledge to work to the best of my ability to serve you all in the next year to maintain the momentum that my predecessor, Lois Hoeft, as well as those presidents before her, started.

Thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to all I know we will accomplish this year!

In Love,

Samantha Ledyard

Special Collection for January

The Special Collection for January will be for The Women’s Center of Jacksonville. The Women’s Center of Jacksonville provides a multitude of services to our community. Their mission is to improve the lives of women through advocacy, support and education. Today, we will hear from Robin Graber, the Director of the Sexual Assault, Rape Recovery Team.

Please stop by their table in the social hall to today to speak with Robin to find out more about their programs.